Yahweh Shalom

Peace! It can be an elusive quality of life. Deadlines and pressures, conflicts and chaos, give us knotted muscles, furrowed brows, and hearts full of unrest. Sometimes, in the middle of a busy day, I close my eyes and escape- momentarily - to a place that seems peaceful: a mountain stream, a happy memory, a beach retreat; but it doesn't last as the phone rings and jars me back to reality. Most of us believe that peace is circumstantial- that if we could change our place, our position, or our resources - we would find peace. The Bible tells that true peace transcends our present situation!

In the book of Judges we learn that "the LORD is peace." The raiders of Midian had overpowered the Israelis, driving them into the hills where they hid in caves. Times were desperate. In chapter 6, we find Gideon, who was a farmer, trying to get food for his family during a time of war in Israel. He is hiding out near a winepress threshing grain and fearing for his life. Suddenly he is aware of a presence and a voice! {Judges 6:12 NLT} The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Gideon, a realist, looks around at his circumstances and questions that assessment. He goes further and questions God's messenger about the desperate times that his people are experiencing. After seeing this angel consume a meal with supernatural fire, like a burnt offering, Gideon's heart changes. {Judges 6:22-24 NIV}“Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace. (Yahweh Shalom)"

Peace comes when we live in the Presence of God. His Spirit produces a serenity that allows us to rise above situations that cause others to panic and thus, to be filled with fear or to fall apart. As I write this, I am aware of so many moments in my life when I have let life's circumstances steal God's peace from me. When I attempt to exert control over situations, when I try to impose a 'peace' of my own design, things usually get worse! Have you shared that experience? In the middle of a stressful day, have you ever exploded, only adding to your own stress and that of others? In the middle of a crisis, have you tried to force a solution and created more chaos with your efforts? I am guilty!

But when I take time to re-center myself in the Spirit, turning myself over to Him, asking that He come into my mind and heart - peace follows. Often the situation remains exactly the same, but I am changed. Don't misunderstand what God desires of you. His will is not that you detach yourself from reality, that you run away from life, or escape into denial. He wants us to be fully engaged with life, bringing order to chaos, healing to the broken, resisting evil wherever it makes its ugliness apparent. But, in the spiritual warfare of this Christian life, He also wants us to be people who live in His Peace! The OT word, "shalom" means more than the absence of conflict. Shalom indicates wholeness, restfulness, and satisfaction.

Today, before you engage with life's challenges, go into the Presence of God. Meditate on His Word, commit yourself and your circumstances to Him. Invite the Spirit to use you as a agent of the Kingdom of Heaven wherever life takes you throughout this day. When you find yourself tensing up, feeling the pressure, breathe a prayer for peace-- "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

In the presence of Your infinite might,
I'm so small and frail and weak;
When I see Your pow'r and wisdom,
Lord,I have no words left to speak.

And I cry holy, holy, holy God,
How awesome is Your name,
Holy, holy, holy God,
How majestic is Your reign;
And I am changed in the presence of a holy God.

In the presence of Your glory,
All my crowns lie in the dust;
You are righteous in Your judgments, Lord,
You are faithful, true, and just.

In the presence of a holy God,
There's new meaning now to grace;
You took all my sins upon Yourself,
I can only stand amazed.

And I cry holy, holy, holy God,
How awesome is Your name,
Holy, holy, holy God,
How majestic is Your reign;
And I am changed in the presence of a holy God.

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